Ibiza unblocks the new water contract after 15 years

The Ibiza Town Council has unanimously approved, in an extraordinary plenary session held this Thursday, the provisional award of the drinking water supply and sanitation service to the joint venture formed by FCC and Aqualia, the current concessionaire of the service. The company obtained the best score -97.29 points- among the four bids submitted to the tender, which contemplates a 20-year concession and a global budget close to 200 million euros.

• Ibiza earmarks more than one million euros for housing and approves 500,000 to repair storm damage

The approval is the first step towards the final award. The UTE now has ten working days to submit the required documentation, before formalizing the contract and always at the expense of possible administrative appeals. Once the process is completed, the agreement will be published in the municipal Contracting Profile and in the Public Sector Contracting Platform, complying with transparency requirements.

17 million in investments and 49 actions to modernize the network

During the session, the accidental councilman of the Environment, Rubén Sousa, emphasized that the new contract will allow “a qualitative leap” in the management of the service. The contract foresees an investment of 17 million euros in the first eight years, as well as an additional fund of 2 million to separate rainwater and sewage networks, improve urban drainage and reduce leaks.

In total, the operational plan includes 49 priority actions, mainly focused on improving water infrastructures, optimizing the sewerage and rainwater network, installing smart meters and improving water efficiency. The goal is to move from 78% to 90% efficiency in two years.

Sousa defined the day as “a great day for Ibiza” and regretted that the previous progressive government “did nothing” to speed up a competition that had been stuck for more than a decade.

PSOE calls for vigilance and questions deadlines

Socialist councilman Jordi Salewski recalled that the previous executive left the work on the tender “advanced” and warned that his group will be “very vigilant” to ensure that the schedule of works, the deployment of smart meters and the activation of the committed social cohesion fund are met.

He also considered it “very optimistic” that the new concessionaire could raise the efficiency of the network to 90% in two years. “I hope I’m wrong,” he declared.

The awarding is part of a plenary session with key decisions

The approval of the water contract took place in an extraordinary plenary session marked by other important agreements for the municipality:

• Housing agreement with the Consell (1.003 million): rental subsidies, coliving for young people and creation of new public housing.

• Transformation of the EI-10 (more than 13 million): the City Council will tender and execute an intervention that will turn the ring road into an urban avenue that will connect ses Figueretes and Can Misses.

• 500,000 euros for storm damage: funds earmarked for emergency works following the Ex Gabrielle and Alice episodes.

• Amortization of the loan with Caja Rural (11.95 million): the City Council will have zero debt thanks to the surplus of fiscal year 2024.

• Approval of the addendum to the Tourism Sustainability Plan.

The first deputy mayor and councilor for Economic Resources, Gema Marí, stressed that the early cancellation of the loan reflects “the good financial health of the Consistory” and recalled that the funds made it possible to implement essential projects in education, mobility, sports, public transport and municipal services.